ModCompat/Alternate Fire
Description Primary feature of this Mod is adding a second function to every Q3A weapon. You must bind the alternate fire to a button (and you can set a key for the grappling hook, too. AF features a customized "quick" offhand grapple, which is enabled -in this case, always equipped- or disabled via \g_offhandgrapple <0 or 1> variable (default value is 0). But in case a map includes a "standard" Q3/OA offhand grapple to pick-up, there is a problem: please read Troubleshooting section of this page for infos and how to avoid the problem.). Alternate fires can consume more or less ammo than standard ones. See below for complete list of second weapon functions. The mod also brings many other changes: ammo boxes explode after they get 100 damage. Plasma spheres, rockets, grenades and bfg slugs "bounce" on jump-pads and are teleported if you shoot through gates (teleporters). You will die if you try to use Lightning gun underwater (electricity + water = bad idea). If you fire with BFG too many times without letting it cool down a bit, it will overheat and then explode, killing you. You can defend yourself destroying enemy rockets, hitting them mid-air with your weapons. In "Capture the Flag" mode, after an enemy flag carrier is killed, it is not enough to touch your flag to have it return to your base, but you have to bring it back instead. There are some new items and powerups which alternate with standard ones: "Vampiric Health", "Accuracy", "Vitality", "Hologram Generator", "Speed". Alternate Fire includes Unlagged technology from the same author. HTML "readme" files inside the mod's directory illustrate rules. Alternate fires of each weapon * Gauntlet: makes a defensive liquid-metal shield. This secondary function quickly consumes ammo, which can be regained by hitting opponents with its main fire, which does not require ammo. * Machinegun: throws a "flare" which attracts homing missiles (fake target). * Shotgun: less projectiles, but more concentrated and higher fire rate (better than standard shot at distance). * Grenade launcher: adhesive mines. * Rocket launcher: homing missiles that follow your enemy. They fly a bit slower than normal missiles. * Lightning gun: creates a "lightning web". A trap that can be placed in strategical points like next to a teleport exit. For many seconds, every enemy which passes through it will be probably killed. It uses 100 ammo and you can't fire for some seconds after use. * Railgun: a very poweful beam. It consumes 3 ammo, has a longer recharge time and needs a 1,5 sec also before firing, but you don't need to hit your enemy directly to hurt him. * Plasma gun: orbiting plasma balls fly around your body for 30 seconds. They can hurt enemies if you touch them. * BFG: you can use BFG Overload. You set it for self-destruction, left it on the ground and you get teleported away (you enter the spectate mode for some seconds): if no one grabs it in few instants, it explodes. Blast radius depends of how many ammo you had. Installation Unzip (manually or using the self extractor -under Windows-) inside the folder of OpenArena. Start OpenArena and the mod, then go to "Setup -> Controls -> Shoot" menù and set the keys for the secondary fire and the offhand grapple (aka grappling hook). Compatibility chart Troubleshooting Usually, you should be able to play Alternate Fire without problems. But read here if you get this error: Error: too many cvars, cannot create a new one!": ''if you load the mod from "mods" menù and then try to begin a match and you get that error, then try lo load the mod directly from your OS' command line, like ''openarena.exe +set fs_game alternatefire and begin a match. This could workaround the problem. Another thing you could try is to delete or rename mod's q3config.cfg file (see here for its location), and personalize its settings again. It seems that AlternateFire specific implentation of a "quick" grappling hook (a very comfortable grapple, always equipped for eveyone if \g_offhandgrapple is set to 1, and then usable through a dedicated key) "broke" standard Q3/OA offhand grapple. This means that if you grab a standard "offhand grapple" item spawning in the arena and try to use it (selecting it like a weapon, in usual OA way), you will not be able to detach from the wall! In case g_offhandgrapple is enabled, you can just hit the key binded to AF's hook and you will detach... but if g_offhandgrapple is disabled, that key will have no effect and you will not able to detach from the wall, so you will have to suicide (/kill)! This problem is not related to OpenArena, but happens also if running the mod under Quake III Arena. There are very few maps around that include an offhand grapple to pick-up... but in case you find one, you may want to prevent that item from spawning at all, with /set disable_weapon_grapplinghook 1 (please read Disabling and replacing items page for more infos). This would prevent any problem with standard Q3/OA offhand grapple (by removing it), and will have no side effect on AF's own "quick" grappling hook. Tip: in this mod, you can see your horizontal moving speed by setting /cg_speedometer 1 in console. And to enable/disable the ability to "gib" corpses, there is com_gibs <0 or 1> instead of the usual cvars. Screenshots AlternateFire 01 Lightning web.jpg|A deadly lightning web trap placed in front of a portal. AlternateFire 02 Ammo boxes exploding.jpg|Various kinds of ammo boxes exploding after being shoot. Download mirrors 1.5X * GameFront (EXE 1.5) (Internet archive) * GameFront (EXE 1.5.1) (Internet archive) * GameFront (EXE 1.5.2) (Internet archive) 2.0 * Fileplanet * GameFront (EXE) (Internet archive) * GameFront (ZIP) (Internet archive) * QuakeUnity (Internet archive) External links * AlternateFire at PlanetQuake (Internet archive) * AlternateFire at RTDQuake (Internet archive) * Defunct official site on PlanetQuake (Internet archive) * Alternate Fire source code (NOT GPL)